Mist from the falls dampened his coat; the fine spray lacing the tips of his guard hairs with glittery droplets. Basileus paid the mist and the chill that accompanied it no mind. He had more important things to worry about. The lack of a trail at this point spoke volumes. From the start he'd known that Enrico wasn't to be underestimated. He was a worthy adversary. That being said Basileus had hoped to have closed in on him by now. Perhaps not caught him, but at the least scented him at some point in recent weeks. The lack of evidence was disappointing and he was beginning to doubt himself. Had Enrico even come this way? Who was to say he hadn't doubled back at some point and taken off in a completely different direction? With brooding thoughts occupying most of his attention Basileus made his way - largely on autopilot at this point - closer to the water. He was unaware of his slip into introspective thoughts. With largely uninterrupted isolation being his only constant (well, that and his inability to close in on his opponent) the man of honor was slipping far into his thoughts more often than he realized. Somewhere along the line he'd either grown comfortable or tired, or perhaps his natural caution was simply exhausted. At the water's edge Basileus paused to drink. He dropped his head and brought his lips close to the water before freezing. His eyes locked onto his reflection. The chance to look himself in the eye was a rare one and for reasons beyond his grasp at that moment his eyes caught his attention. For a moment he scrutinized them. Even to his own eyes he looked tired and gaunt. This realization was irksome. Was he really unraveling under pressure? Perhaps he was simply spreading himself too thin. With an explosive snort Basileus scattered his reflection. He was wasting his thoughts on things that didn't matter. Without another thought on the matter the brute began to drink. He simply needed to keep searching. There was no way he could return home without a token of some kind and Enrico couldn't run forever. Sooner or later he would get his man.

It wasn't often that the pale man wandered away from his pack lands, but he just needed a break. His daughter had been found and returned home, mostly in one piece. But she had been poisoned, of all things! He had no idea who would want to do that to his sweet, shy daughter. The one time she had gotten the courage to go out on an adventure she got lost, and the wolf who had found her had given her something that had made her so, so sick. Bass' white ears clung to his skull, a large sigh leaving his lips as he kept on wandering. He needed to clear his head, and the mist from the falls helped cool his head. He was angry, he wanted to find the wolf that would have dared to do that to his precious daughter, one who wouldn't ever harm a soul. Making it to the edge of the water, he moved down to take a drink when a loud snort sounded. Startled, Bass lifted his brown marked face as his golden gaze moved to the left, noticing the black and red tinged male. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't see the stranger as he had been approaching. Feeling slightly embarrassed, he shuffled on his paws slightly as he eyed the other male. It wasn't often that he didn't notice those around him, but this stranger seemed to be distracted himself. The alpha couldn't help but realize that he looked a little worse for wear, concern colouring his face. "Everything okay over there?" he asked, turning his body so that he was facing the stranger. If there was any way he could help, he wouldn't say no. "Talk" "Italian" Think

A voice off to the side made him bristle instinctively. Immediately Basileus straightened and swung his head to the side in search of the speaker. The man was right there - right there! - and far too close for comfort considering how recent Basil's awareness of him was. Had he really been so deep in thought? How could he possibly have missed him! Upon seeing the concerned expression the stranger wore Basileus calmed somewhat. The product of his own inattentiveness or not, he didn't like being snuck up on. Basileus nodded as he licked the water off his whiskers. Did he really look so piteous that he now attracted the sympathy of strangers? That thought chafed at him a little. He did not need or want that kind of attention. As a man he was capable of handling his own troubles. Basil cleared his throat before responding, "Yes, sir. Everything is good." A lie, but what more could he say? Omerta forbade him from speaking of the brotherhood and even if it didn't he doubted this outsider would be too pleased to hear about his plan to kill, no matter how justified. Hover speech for translation

The stranger seemed almost angry at the sound of his voice, startling Bass. He just stared at him with wide yellow eyes, a single paw raised in a feeling of uncertainty. But it wasn't long before the other male calmed, easing his own mind as he settled down himself. When he spoke though, his eyes grew wide again as he blinked at the stranger. Was that... that accent. He knew that accent. It was obvious that English wasn't his first language, and it wasn't hard for Bass to pick up the Italian behind it. In all his years here, he had only ever run into one wolf who spoke it, and it was the old man that had taught Bass and Wren how to speak it. But now, he was very certain that it is what this stranger spoke. Clearing his throat, he tried to calm his face down and not look overly surprised, he was sure that he was going to freak the other man out with his wide eyed stare. "Parli italiano? Lo sento nella tua voce," he stated, not able to keep the touch of excitement that coloured his vocals. To be able to speak Italian with another got his tail wagging slightly, thumping on the damp ground behind him. "Talk" "Italian" Think

When the man spoke to him in Italian, Basileus, in shock, almost fell over. His expression brightened in obvious interest and he turned to face the stranger fully. He wasn't one for overt displays of emotion, so while he was excited, he didn't get anywhere close to going overboard. Basil smiled warmly at the stranger before replying, "Sì e sono felice di sentire di nuovo!" Hearing his language, not in fragments but in full, fluent sentences, was music to his ears. "E 'passato troppo tempo." The man's apparent fluency had Basileus wondering. His accent was very different, but they were definitely speaking the same language. Was it established here? Were there communities, whole packs, of italians? The idea of his people and culture living here excited him. This was the second person he'd spoken to who knew some amount of Italian. Surely Enrico had met similar success. Perhaps he'd even found comfort in those people. Maybe he lingered with them. He studied the man carefully. "Mi chiamo Basileus. E 'molto bello conoscerti, amico mio, davvero molto bella." Indeed it was. This man could - and he was aware he was putting quite a bit of hope on the possibility - be the key to finding his man. Hover speech for translation

It was obvious that the other man was shocked by the Italian as he was, although not quite to the degree as he was. Bass was an emotional brute in the sense that it was hard to hide a feeling from his face. His eyes had always been somewhat of an open novel. The stranger said that he was pleased to hear it again, and Bass smiled as he nodded his head slightly. With the russet male, it was easy to tell that he had spoken this since birth, while with him there was an obvious taint of his English tongue. The alpha had learned Italian from a kind stranger with his now mate, that much could be heard. "Lei viene da una terra che parla prevalentemente italiano?" the pale man asked, head tilting to the side slightly. "Il bruto che mi ha insegnato aveva parlato di un posto del genere, ma io non ci sono stato me stesso." Bass said with a shrug. While he had not been in Alacritia since conception, it was where he had lived since he was a year old. And in all that time, this man was one of the only ones that had spoken Italian. It was nice to have someone to speak to in this tongue, it was generally only his family that he could share this spoken language with. It was like their own secret language. He felt the other studying him, and Bass simply rose a single brow at the man. He introduced himself, and the man dipped his in greeting. "Il mio nome è Basso, e il piacere è tutto mio. Non capita spesso che mi capita di incontrare qualcuno che è nato parlando questa lingua, il suo bello avere un po 'di pratica." He said with a soft chuckle, folding himself onto his rump as his tail curled around his side. He was interested to ask why he had been studying him so intently, but the brute bit his tongue. It was rather rude to just straight up ask something like that. He could hardly help it though, there were many questions swimming around in his mind. Namely about where he had come from and if his own Italian was ever good. "Talk" "Italian" Think

In response to Bass' first question Basileus simply nodded. Everyone he knew spoke Italian. The only ones who didn't were traders and immigrants. Of course the foreigners brought their languages with them so it wasn't too uncommon to meet someone who knew bits and pieces of languages other than Italian. He knew no native who spoke more than one language fluently, but that didn't mean none existed. Surely there was some scholarly type somewhere back home who geeked out over languages. The man's first statement was rather disappointing. He hadn't inherited the language as Basileus had and it didn't really sound like he'd been taught in a setting where Italian was widely spoken. The brute's excitement wavered. That certainly didn't sound very promising. His theory was, as sad as it was, his best chance at getting to Enrico. The man was crafty, but like any man, he had to long for home. Unable to go home the best he could hope for was a substitute and that, if it were true, could be his downfall. The first statement may have given his hopes a beating, but the one that followed did one better and dashed them completely. Bass didn't hear the language often. If none were raised on the language then there could be no native speakers and no communities similar to the one he'd come from. His luck wasn't changing after all. Basileus sobered somewhat. "Penso che sia un peccato. Speravo ci fossero altri." He licked his lips thoughtfully. Bass was so eager to speak to him in italian, so surely he'd have taken notice of other italian speakers. "Forse puoi aiutarmi. Avete visto altri viaggiatori come mi di recente?" Hover speech for translation

He tried to hide how excited he was that he was speaking Italian with his stranger, and that where he came from spoke it fluently. Never before had this happened to him, and it would seem that the other man was as well. He watched with bright yellow eyes as a flash of emotion passed across Basil's face, but it was too quick for him to place it. Shaking it off, he didn't bother to question him on it. It wasn't his place, there was obviously something on his mind. His first statement brought a bit of light to the situation, and Bass thought that maybe the man was homesick. Not knowing the most commonly spoken tongue here could be very hard, and Bass didn't know how he would feel in his paws. "Tutta la mia famiglia parla italiano, ma finora si sono il primo diverso da quello del lupo che mi ha insegnato. Mi dispiace che non ci sia più qui, sono sicuro che porta conforto a voi." he said with an easy smile. He knew what it was like to be away from family, he only had one remaining sister in his pack, while the others were off with those they cared for. He let out a sharp sigh at the thought, but he quickly shoved it away. It was not the time to dwell on that. When he was asked about others like Basileus, Bass had to pause and search through his memory. Did he mean others who spoke Italian, or those who looked like him. A touch of confusion touched his gaze, and he scrambled to try and find the answer that the brute wanted. "Non esattamente. Sono alfa di un pacco vicino, cerco di non uscire dalla mia confini spesso. C'è qualcuno in particolare che stai cercando? Forse posso aiutare di più se ho conosciuto un po 'di più." His words were cautious, he didn't want to offend him or push him into sharing information that he didn't want to. "Come ho detto, tu sei il primo al di fuori del vecchio che mi ha insegnato che ho incontrato che parlano italiano. Se vuoi dire a qualcuno che assomiglia a te, mi dispiace molto ma non ho." The pale man offered the other a shrug and a friendly smile, really wishing that he could be of more assistance. "Talk" "Italian" Think

Bass was wrong. Knowing his language didn't flourish in this land didn't bring him comfort. He'd been grasping at straws when he'd latched onto the idea of Enrico seeking refuge among a similar people and with that shred of hope gone he was once again back at square one. It was disappointing and more than a little infuriating. Damn that traitor to the darkest parts of hell! The only outward sign he gave that showed off his aggrieved state was a disappointed sigh. "Questo risponde alla mia domanda." Clearly this man wasn't going to be able to help him. Basileus was tempted to take his leave, but the opportunity to converse with ease was too good to pass up. If there were only a few in this land who spoke his language it was unlikely he'd get another chance. This man was an alpha, a leader, and that interested him. He'd never interacted much with the pack leaders back home. He'd been raised on secrets and from a young age he'd understood that above all else it was important to guard those secrets from the pack's leaders. In retrospect he knew it was because of the power they wielded and that they more than anyone else had the potential to make business difficult. All he'd known as a child was the unspoken, unnamed fear of what might happen if the secret was spilled. "Un alfa, hai detto?" Hover speech for translation

Bass felt bad, this man was dead set on finding something and Bass held no answers for him. There was something about the way that Basileus held himself, something that let even a stranger know that he was determined. There was an end goal in this wolf's mind, and nothing could stand in his way. Perhaps it was the way that he kept himself closed off, or his gentle prodding for information without demanding it outright. That is why he found himself feeling guilty for not knowing anything. He thought that their conversation was going to come to an end when he stated that his question was answered, but instead the red tinted man carried it on. He asked again about his alpha stature, and Bass nodded his head. "Sì, il mio nome è confezioni Abaven. Noi viviamo qui in Oriente, pianure serpente, rapide monumento, e le macchie fruscianti è dove facciamo la nostra casa." Bass answered. He didn't know if Basil even knew where those lands were, but he would be more than happy to show him where it was. When he scented the air, he didn't smell the claiming scent of a pack. Why was he so curious then, about him being an alpha? ooc:// Sorry for the terrible tag. D: "Talk" "Italian" Think

Basil's eyebrows rose as Bass mentioned his pack held three territories. He didn't know what it was like here, but back home it was unusual for a pack to have that much land. The packs he was used to were small and mostly family groups, but closely interwoven with one another. They were more like factions inside a bigger organization; each playing a part and specializing in something. The clans of course knew no borders and spanned several packs. Basileus was intrigued. Perhaps this Abaven was "the hub" here in Alacritia. If that were true maybe he could use it to his advantage. "Questo è molto impressionante! Città non ottengono abbastanza grande per tre terre di dove sono. Hai fatto bene, sì?" Hover speech for translation